Femella Fashion to set up 500 outlets in 5 yrs

PTI|

May 18, 2008, 10.50 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Femella Fashion, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ritesh Properties and Industries (RPIL), today said it plans to set up 500 outlets in the next five years.

"We are planning to open 500 outlets in the next five years and out of this around 50 would come up in the current financial year (08-09) in North India alone," Ritesh Properties Managing Director Sanjeev Arora said.

"The company plans to pump in Rs 25 crore via debt to set up these 50 outlets in northern India and has also identified banks to raise that money," Arora said.

He, however, declined to name the banks. The company plans to open 20 outlets for the brand Femella catering mainly to working women in Delhi and NCR region and is eyeing Mumbai as its next destination.

Femella Fashion today inaugurated its third store in the Capital and first in North Delhi. It plans to add 17 more by the end of this financial year.

"We are extremely pleased to have launched yet another store in the capital of our range of apparels which are priced from Rs 500 onwards. We are competing more with 'Biba' and less with 'Women' brands of contemporary wear," he said.

Femella has its own team of seven designers headed by designer Kamna Sehgal who looks after designing and styling of clothes.

The Femella collection is also available at the two stores in South and West Delhi each.

RPIL also said it has acquired the US-based sports brand 'Catalina Bay' to strengthen its overseas retail operations.

"We have started orders but are only expecting revenues in the end of the next financial year (2009-10)," Arora said.